Smoking is bad

Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. Yet every single day about 4,000 kids between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. Most middle school students don't smoke — only about 1 in 10 does. And most high school students don't smoke either — about 1 in 4 does (that means 3 out of 4 don't). But why do those who smoke ever begin? There's more than just one simple answer. Some kids may start smoking just because they

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Overweight

Your weight has been important since the moment you were born. Maybe you even know what your birth weight was. Most babies weigh less than 10 pounds and sometimes as little as 3 or 4 pounds. But very quickly, a young baby gains weight and everyone is glad about that because it means the child is growing bigger and stronger. As you get older, your weight is still important. It's something your parents and doctor will probably keep an eye on. Whe

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Brain

In fact, your brain is the boss of your body. It runs the show and controls just about everything you do, even when you're asleep. Not bad for something that looks like a big, wrinkly, gray sponge.Your brain has many different parts that work together. We're going to talk about these five parts, which are key players on the brain team: cerebrum (say: suh-ree-brum)cerebellum (say: sair-uh-bell-um)brain stempituitary gland (say: puh-too-uh-ter-ee

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Glasses

do some people need glasses and others don't? Everyone's eyes are a little different - not just the color, but the way they work and how well they see. Sometimes all the parts of the eye don't work together the way they should. But eyeglasses or contact lenses, also called corrective lenses, can help most people see more clearly. How Eyes Work The eyeball includes the cornea (say: kor-nee-uh), clear tissue that helps the eye focus; the iris, t

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Stomachache

You wake up in the middle of the night with stomach cramps, clutch a pillow and curl your body around it. That helps a little and you go back to sleep. But in the morning, the pain is still there. "Ouch, I have a stomachache!" you tell your mom or dad. That's when the questions begin: Do you feel like you're going to throw up? Has it been hard for you to go to the bathroom lately? Did you have diarrhea in the night? Does it hurt anywhere else?

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Alcohol is dangerous

"Hey, who wants a drink?" "Oh come on, just one drink won't hurt you. It's fun." "It's cool. Everybody drinks, right?" Wrong. Drinking alcohol is dangerous for kids and teens and sometimes for adults, too. Alcohol is a drug, and it is the drug most abused by teens. Many kids have their first drink at an early age, as young as 10 or 11 or even younger. They may have seen their parents drink or cool ads for beer and wine. It's easy for a kid to

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argh.....Acne

Acne (say: ak-nee) - also known as pimples or zits - is a totally normal part of growing up. Kids get acne because of changes that occur during puberty, the time when kids' bodies begin the many changes that turn them into adults. When you got your first pimple, you probably took off running to ask your parent, older brother or sister, or friend what you should do. But before you take their advice and pop that pimple, you should know that there

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Fat

Fat is a component in food. Some foods, including most fruits and vegetables, have almost no fat. Other foods have plenty of fat. They include nuts, oils, butter, and meats like beef. The name — fat — may make it sound like something you shouldn't eat. But fat is an important part of a healthy diet. And little kids, especially, need a certain amount of fat in their diets so the brain and nervous system develop correctly. That's why toddlers nee

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Nose Bleeding

Most nosebleeds look worse than they are. In other words, nosebleeds are messy, a little uncomfortable, and sometimes even scary, but they are usually no big deal. Kids can get nosebleeds once in a while or more often. The nosebleeds that are most common in kids usually occur near the front of the nose, on the wall separating the two sides of the nose (the septum), and usually start from just one nostril. Sometimes nosebleeds start further back

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Chickenpox

You haven't been feeling so great for the last few days, and you've had a runny nose and a cough. Then one morning you wake up and stumble into the bathroom. You look in the mirror with blurry eyes and — yikes! You have chickenpox! What Is Chickenpox? Chickenpox is caused by a virus called varicella zosterdocument.write(defvaricella_zoster65)varicella zoster. People who get the virus often develop a rash of spots that look like blisters all ov

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Food Allergies

"Hey, do you want some?" your friend asks as he offers you a mouthwatering homemade brownie. You're tempted by the delicious dessert, but then you see the crushed peanuts on top. Darn! You're allergic to peanuts. Maybe just one little bite? Nope. If you have a food allergy, even a very tiny bit of that food can make you sick. It's better to say no thanks to the brownie and have a nut-free dessert. Lots of kids have food allergies - 2 million in

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